By 2018, the UAE will have 33 pharmaceuticals factories, increasing from 15 currently.

Speaking at The Economist’s Healthcare in the Middle East conference held in Dubai on 14 October, Amin al-Amiri, assistant undersecretary for public health policy and the licensing sector at the UAE’s Health Ministry, told delegates that although 85 per cent of pharmaceuticals are currently imported, 999 products are produced locally.

Three factories will be opened by the end of 2015, and another 15 are in the pipeline, Al-Amiri said.

In 2013, the drug market in the UAE was worth AED5.1bn ($1.4bn). Of this, patented drugs made up 66 per cent, generic drugs 16 per cent, and over the counter (OTC)medications 18 per cent.

Recent legislation has allowed drug companies to apply for production licences up to 24 months before patents run out on drugs, meaning generic equivalents can be available as soon as the patent expires.